Reduction of negative mood intensity and smoking cessation

Negative affect predicts smoking lapses. As such, cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT), which are efficacious for depression, have been applied in smoking cessation treatments with mixed results. To clarify the relationship between CBT, depression, and smoking cessation, coping has been proposed as a mediating mechanism, but is far from established as a mediating factor. We examined coping effectiveness (are participants able to reduce negative mood intensity, as measured by the Ways of Responding (WOR)), which has not been researched in the context of smoking cessation. We compared CBT and psychoeducation, demonstrating that individuals in CBT have greater improvement in their ability to reduce their negative mood. Greater improvement in the ability to reduce negative moods was not associated with abstinence. We investigated whether WOR scores are impacted by the differential formatting of vignettes. This seems not to be the case, though one story received stronger negative reactions. Further research is warranted.